Guide for creating effective skills. This skill should be used when users want to create a new skill (or update an existing skill) that extends AIPex's capabilities with specialized knowledge, workflows, or tool integrations.
npxskills add aipexstudio/aipex--skill skill-creatorLoading…
This skill provides guidance for creating effective skills.
Skills are modular, self-contained packages that extend AIPex's capabilities by providing specialized knowledge, workflows, and tools. Think of them as "onboarding guides" for specific domains or tasks—they transform AIPex from a general-purpose agent into a specialized agent equipped with procedural knowledge that no model can fully possess.
Every skill consists of a required SKILL.md file and optional bundled resources:
skill-name/
├── SKILL.md (required)
│ ├── **YAML frontmatter metadata** (required)
│ │ ├── name: (required)
│ │ └── description: (required)
│ └── Markdown instructions (required)
└── Bundled Resources (optional)
├── scripts/ - Executable code (JavaScript/Browser/etc.)
├── references/ - Documentation intended to be loaded into context as needed
└── assets/ - Files used in output (templates, icons, fonts, etc.)
Metadata Quality: The name and in YAML frontmatter determine when AIPex will use the skill. Be specific about what the skill does and when to use it. Use the third-person (e.g. "This skill should be used when..." instead of "Use this skill when...").
descriptionscripts/)Executable code (JavaScript/Browser/etc.) for tasks that require deterministic reliability or are repeatedly rewritten.
scripts/rotate_pdf.js for PDF rotation tasksmain function or have a main function as the entry point. This function serves as the standard interface for executing the script's functionality.
// Option 1: Direct export
function main(args) {
// script logic here
}
module.exports = main;
// Option 2: Object export
function main(args) {
// script logic here
}
module.exports = { main };
references/)Documentation and reference material intended to be loaded as needed into context to inform AIPex's process and thinking.
references/finance.md for financial schemas, references/mnda.md for company NDA template, references/policies.md for company policies, references/api_docs.md for API specificationsassets/)Files not intended to be loaded into context, but rather used within the output AIPex produces.
assets/logo.png for brand assets, assets/slides.pptx for PowerPoint templates, assets/frontend-template/ for HTML/React boilerplate, assets/font.ttf for typographySkills use a three-level loading system to manage context efficiently:
*Unlimited because scripts can be executed without reading into context window.
This skill creator is designed to work in browser environments (such as Chrome Extensions) using memfs for file operations and JSZip for packaging. The scripts are browser-compatible and can be used with virtual filesystems.
// Initialize a new skill
const result = initSkill(skillName, basePath, fs)
// Write a file to the file system
const writeResult = await writeFile({
path: "/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md",
content: "YAML frontmatter and Markdown content"
})
// Delete a file or directory from the file system
const deleteResult = await deleteFile({ path: "/skills/my-skill/old-file.md" })
// Package an existing skill and trigger download
const result = await packageSkill(skillPath)
// Validate a skill
const validation = validateSkill(skillPath, fs)
Write content to a file in the file system. Creates parent directories if they don't exist.
Parameters:
path (required): Absolute path to the file to writecontent (required): Content to write to the fileReturns: { success: boolean, error?: string }
Delete a file or directory from the file system. Supports recursive directory deletion.
Parameters:
path (required): Absolute path to the file or directory to deleteReturns: { success: boolean, error?: string }
To create a skill, follow the "Skill Creation Process" in order, skipping steps only if there is a clear reason why they are not applicable.
Skip this step only when the skill's usage patterns are already clearly understood. It remains valuable even when working with an existing skill.
To create an effective skill, clearly understand concrete examples of how the skill will be used. This understanding can come from either direct user examples or generated examples that are validated with user feedback.
For example, when building an image-editor skill, relevant questions include:
To avoid overwhelming users, avoid asking too many questions in a single message. Start with the most important questions and follow up as needed for better effectiveness.
Conclude this step when there is a clear sense of the functionality the skill should support.
To turn concrete examples into an effective skill, analyze each example by:
Example: When building a pdf-editor skill to handle queries like "Help me rotate this PDF," the analysis shows:
scripts/rotate_pdf.js script would be helpful to store in the skillExample: When designing a frontend-webapp-builder skill for queries like "Build me a todo app" or "Build me a dashboard to track my steps," the analysis shows:
assets/hello-world/ template containing the boilerplate HTML/React project files would be helpful to store in the skillExample: When building a big-query skill to handle queries like "How many users have logged in today?" the analysis shows:
references/schema.md file documenting the table schemas would be helpful to store in the skillTo establish the skill's contents, analyze each concrete example to create a list of the reusable resources to include: scripts, references, and assets.
At this point, it is time to actually create the skill.
Skip this step only if the skill being developed already exists, and iteration or packaging is needed. In this case, continue to the next step.
When creating a new skill from scratch, always run the init_skill.js script. The script conveniently generates a new template skill directory that automatically includes everything a skill requires, making the skill creation process much more efficient and reliable.
Usage:
initSkill(skillName, basePath, fs)
The script:
scripts/, references/, and assets/After initialization, customize or remove the generated SKILL.md and example files as needed.
When editing the (newly-generated or existing) skill, remember that the skill is being created for another instance of AIPex to use. Focus on including information that would be beneficial and non-obvious to AIPex. Consider what procedural knowledge, domain-specific details, or reusable assets would help another AIPex instance execute these tasks more effectively.
To begin implementation, start with the reusable resources identified above: scripts/, references/, and assets/ files. Note that this step may require user input. For example, when implementing a brand-guidelines skill, the user may need to provide brand assets or templates to store in assets/, or documentation to store in references/.
Also, delete any example files and directories not needed for the skill. The initialization script creates example files in scripts/, references/, and assets/ to demonstrate structure, but most skills won't need all of them.
Writing Style: Write the entire skill using imperative/infinitive form (verb-first instructions), not second person. Use objective, instructional language (e.g., "To accomplish X, do Y" rather than "You should do X" or "If you need to do X"). This maintains consistency and clarity for AI consumption.
To complete SKILL.md, answer the following questions:
main function? What is the expected output of the script? Remember that each script must export a main function or have a main function as the entry point.Once the skill is ready, package it into a distributable zip file and trigger a browser download. The packaging process automatically validates the skill first to ensure it meets all requirements:
const result = await packageSkill(skillPath)
The packaging script will:
Validate the skill automatically, checking:
Package the skill if validation passes, creating a zip file named after the skill (e.g., my-skill.zip) that includes all files and maintains the proper directory structure for distribution.
Trigger download automatically using the browser's download API, presenting a save dialog to the user.
The function returns:
{ success: true, filename: "skill-name.zip", downloadId: number, message: "..." } if successful{ success: false, error: "...", message: "..." } if validation or packaging failsIf validation fails, the script will report the errors. Fix any validation errors and run the packaging function again.
After testing the skill, users may request improvements. Often this happens right after using the skill, with fresh context of how the skill performed.
Iteration workflow:
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Set up and use 1Password CLI (op). Use when installing the CLI, enabling desktop app integration, signing in (single or multi-account), or reading/injecting/running secrets via op.
CLI to manage emails via IMAP/SMTP. Use `himalaya` to list, read, write, reply, forward, search, and organize emails from the terminal. Supports multiple accounts and message composition with MML (MIME Meta Language).
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Set up and use 1Password CLI (op). Use when installing the CLI, enabling desktop app integration, signing in (single or multi-account), or reading/injecting/running secrets via op.
CLI to manage emails via IMAP/SMTP. Use `himalaya` to list, read, write, reply, forward, search, and organize emails from the terminal. Supports multiple accounts and message composition with MML (MIME Meta Language).